9 Thanksgiving Hacks So You Can Enjoy The Day Too

While we all have visions of Thanksgiving Dinner dancing in our heads, it's easy to forget just what a chore it is to put Thanksgiving dinner together. Especially for the head chef, who, let's be honest with each other, has been putting this together for days! Maybe even weeks.  Way before you take out your Thanksgiving pants, for sure.

Lifehacker has come up with some tips to make it just a little bit easier

1. Spatchcock your turkey.  I know it sounds a bit racy, but it's just splitting it down the breastbone then laying it flat to cook it.

2.  Dull knives are not only a nightmare, they're dangerous.  Make sure all of your knives are sharpened and ready to go for the big day.

3.  You don't have to spend a mint for platters.  Some of the coolest platters on the planet are at thrift stores and at very affordable prices.

4.  Thanksgiving leftovers, meet soup containers, your new best friend.  Get stocked up at the dollar store and the like to send home that Thanksgiving goodness and store your own leftovers.

5.  Not a lot of drinkers in the group?  Sparkling wine can do the deed, and you may not end up with fights at the end of dinner, or during dinner, or after dinner.

6.  Yum up your mashed potatoes with a spoonful of onion soup mix, and use the rest for your gravy

7.   They say burnt onions are the key to a great gravy, not caramelized.  I'm just not sure about this, so I'll need you all to bring me your mashed potatoes and gravy the day after Thanksgiving so we can test this theory.  Hey, it's for science.

8. Brine that bird of yours for at least 24 hours in salt, water, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, celery tops, onion trimmings, apple juice and a little acid, like vinegar

9.  Don't tent the bird, even if it asks.  It will steam the skin and it won't be crispy and delicious.